For those of you interested in a more literary look on the world, please go check out the Editorial Ass blog and read her interesting take on how Jane Austen suffered many of the same woes we do in terms of getting her work published and dealing with publishers—found here. The more things change, the more they stay the same, eh?
Enticing excerpt:
“The first novel she finished was First Impressions (which would later be retitled Pride & Prejudice, her most famous and beloved novel). Mr. Austen promptly and proudly sent it off to the prominent publisher Thomas Cadell in 1797. He didn't bother to write a diverting query letter, though, and didn't do much research on the marketplace or tailoring his pitch. (Of course no one who reads this blog would make a mistake like that!) First Impressions was sent back, unread, with the note 'declined by return of post.'"
***
And then for those of you willing to put up with some tidbits about my month of living and teaching in Spartanburg, South Carolina, read on:
I’ll be leaving on Saturday, which is about the right amount of time to have been away from my “real life.” One thing that never fails to fascinate me about life in the South (to make a sweeping generalization), is that the longer you stay, the more you realize that you have no idea of what’s really going on, what the real story is down here. It’s not an easy place to figure out, and I’ve enjoyed talking with students and others about life in the New South. I find it interesting that some people have a love-hate relationship about being from here, that some people like to claim they have no accent (ha!), that some people—at least on the surface—don’t appreciate the rich culture here, whether it’s food or a unique way with language. Yes, there’s a dark past (and present; while I was here, it was reported that racist materials were slipped into some delivered copies of the local newspaper), but where is a place that isn’t complicated in any number of ways? But as is so evident as I walk around town in my East Coast all-black attire, I’m not from here and I really don’t know anything about it. I accept that, and happily: I believe a writer should never feel completely at ease, as if there are no mysteries left to ponder and to tease out.
So thank you, South Carolina, for reminding me that despite Wal-Mart’s best efforts to homogenize the country (and there are two Wal-Marts here in Spartanburg) , there are places in the country that are richly different from and as mysterious as the places I come from.
And I would be remiss without mentioning some highlights:
--I’ve written about the joys of Converse College cafeteria food. I’m still a fan, though I can see that several years of it might wear on me (and make me fat). Still, I finally did get the famous Shrimp & Grits Bar during my last week, and though it wasn’t the best shrimp & grits I’ve ever had, I would have to say that it beat the hell out of El Ranchero, a horrid mystery meat coated with a slick of tomato paste and a slab of American cheese, which was my college cafeteria’s go-to meal. We seemed to get it every three days. Also, I've never before gotten cooking tips from an institutional cafeteria, but yesterday at lunch, I was so taken with the grilled hearts of romaine at the West Coast Caesar Salad Bar that I asked how I could make them at home (grill pan or in the broiler, quickly, with olive oil or Pam).
--The famous Beacon Drive-In still looks like a place from another time, with dozens of employees running around shouting, gabbing, and filling your order. Chili-Cheese-A-Plenty is as it ever was: a cheeseburger drenched in chili and smothered in four inches of French fries and stellar onion rings. After eating dinner there, I woke up in agony at 4 am, with major stomach pain, but it was worth it. The sweet ice tea is PHENOMONAL! And the peach cobbler was also fantastic. And I was touched by the continued employment of a long-time employee, now blind from glaucoma, who stands at the head of the line and repeats your order to a woman who then shouts it back to the crew. The Beacon sells bobble-head dolls of this guy, with the proceeds going to fight glaucoma…of course I bought one!
--I finished one of my half-finished books. I’m not sure if it was worth it, but I did find several notable passages amidst the dreck. I’m embarrassed to name the title, but by God, it’s going in my “books read” journal. Let the biographers wonder why I stuck with that one…
--North Carolinians may squawk, but the blue sky here is very intense, one of the prettiest blues I’ve seen.
--I met a woman who grew up in North, South Carolina. Isn’t that fascinating?
--Converse College has many lovely old buildings with charming, old building touches. For example, the building where my office is has a chandelier in the entry hall.
--Uncle Lee’s Famous Recipe Fried Chicken is pretty good, not as heavily seasoned and processed-feeling as KFC. Don’t tell Steve I ate any…we allow ourselves to eat fried chicken once a year, on the Fourth of July, and I don’t want to miss out on that meal because I jumped the gun with this secret January chicken.
--I got to witness a town that panics more at the sight of snow than the DC area. There was an inch at most, and it had mostly melted by noon…but all the schools in Spartanburg were cancelled anyway.
--I would be remiss in not mentioning the students I worked with. It could be tiring reading a pack of manuscripts every week and having back-to-back hour-long conferences...but it was truly a joy and inspiration to witness the advances people made in their work in this short time. And believe me, I would never complain about getting to talk about writing all day long with smart, challenging, perceptive writers like the ones I met here at Converse College (which, BTW, is now offering a low-residency MFA along with the BFA in Creative Writing for undergrads--more info on both programs at www.converse.edu).
--And finally, I’m sorry, but I LIKE people always telling me to have a nice day. I will miss so many things about being here, but maybe I will miss most of all how nice people are in their daily interactions with each other. Of course this observation is quickly followed by my friend’s warning: “They’re nice to your face, but then walk away and they’ll be talking about you…concluding with ‘bless her heart.’” (i.e. “She’s such a bitch. Bless her heart.”) So be it. Surface nice is better than the no-nice of big city life!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Writers: Travel to China for Free!
Call for Applications—Deadline February 20, 2009
In 2009, the International Writing Program (IWP), in cooperation with the Chinese Writers' Association, is commencing a pilot exchange project, the Life of Discovery (LOD), between writers and artists from the United States and from the minority ethnic communities in the western regions of the People's Republic of China.
Five American and five Chinese writers and artists, all aged 25-40, will be invited to join two senior artists, one from each country, in a series of collaborative, bilingual projects, conducted first in Western China (over the course of sixteen days in mid-May, 2009) and continued and elaborated upon in the US (five to seven days at the end of September, 2009). Knowledge of Chinese is not required for American participants, nor English for Chinese participants.
LOD is sponsored through grant funds provided by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US State Department. These will cover all relevant expenses for the US participants: round-trip international travel to China and travel within China, domestic travel in the US, lodging, per diem for meals, work materials, visa costs, health insurance, translation and interpreting. For more details on the exchange, the dates and proposed locations, go to http://iwp.uiowa.edu/projects/discovery/index.html
The IWP invites applications from
· Early-career writers of fiction, poetry, drama, screenplays, literary translation, and/or non-fiction, who have atleast one published (or contracted) volume.
· Artists from other disciplines, including time-based media, music, dance, or the visual arts. (See the website for application details on the application process if you are not a writer.)
Applications will be judged on a number of criteria, including creative merit, interest in cross-cultural activity, and the ability to contribute to a diverse and long-term exchange with Chinese counterparts of minority status.
Applications for writers may be hardcopy or electronic and should include:
A. Writing sample (no more than 15 pages; may be a photocopy or scan of published work). Provide a self-addressed mailer and sufficient postage for return of all materials.
B. Resumé
C. Project proposal (300-600 words)
D. Statement confirming ability to travel in remote and rural areas. The resumé should include any experience relevant to LOD (such as international travel or grants, volunteer work, other exchanges, etc.), in addition to artistic credentials and professional accomplishments. The project proposal should describe, in concrete terms, a proposed collaboration between some or all of the participants in the 2009 LOD project.
It should take into consideration all of the following:
--Twelve writers and artists of different genres and disciplines will be present.
--There will be a heavy reliance on interpreting and translation.
--The periods spent face-to-face (10-12 days in China, 5-7 days in the US) will occur four months apart. That interval may also be included in your proposal.
If you have participated in a similar collaborative effort in the past, we recommend including this in your proposal for illustrative purposes. While the IWP has experience in creative collaboration, we welcome new ideas.
Please send applications, by post or email, to
Tammy Petro
International Writing Program
Shambaugh House
430 N. Clinton
Iowa City, IA 52245
319-335-3817
Tammy-Petro@uiowa.edu
In 2009, the International Writing Program (IWP), in cooperation with the Chinese Writers' Association, is commencing a pilot exchange project, the Life of Discovery (LOD), between writers and artists from the United States and from the minority ethnic communities in the western regions of the People's Republic of China.
Five American and five Chinese writers and artists, all aged 25-40, will be invited to join two senior artists, one from each country, in a series of collaborative, bilingual projects, conducted first in Western China (over the course of sixteen days in mid-May, 2009) and continued and elaborated upon in the US (five to seven days at the end of September, 2009). Knowledge of Chinese is not required for American participants, nor English for Chinese participants.
LOD is sponsored through grant funds provided by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US State Department. These will cover all relevant expenses for the US participants: round-trip international travel to China and travel within China, domestic travel in the US, lodging, per diem for meals, work materials, visa costs, health insurance, translation and interpreting. For more details on the exchange, the dates and proposed locations, go to http://iwp.uiowa.edu/projects/discovery/index.html
The IWP invites applications from
· Early-career writers of fiction, poetry, drama, screenplays, literary translation, and/or non-fiction, who have atleast one published (or contracted) volume.
· Artists from other disciplines, including time-based media, music, dance, or the visual arts. (See the website for application details on the application process if you are not a writer.)
Applications will be judged on a number of criteria, including creative merit, interest in cross-cultural activity, and the ability to contribute to a diverse and long-term exchange with Chinese counterparts of minority status.
Applications for writers may be hardcopy or electronic and should include:
A. Writing sample (no more than 15 pages; may be a photocopy or scan of published work). Provide a self-addressed mailer and sufficient postage for return of all materials.
B. Resumé
C. Project proposal (300-600 words)
D. Statement confirming ability to travel in remote and rural areas. The resumé should include any experience relevant to LOD (such as international travel or grants, volunteer work, other exchanges, etc.), in addition to artistic credentials and professional accomplishments. The project proposal should describe, in concrete terms, a proposed collaboration between some or all of the participants in the 2009 LOD project.
It should take into consideration all of the following:
--Twelve writers and artists of different genres and disciplines will be present.
--There will be a heavy reliance on interpreting and translation.
--The periods spent face-to-face (10-12 days in China, 5-7 days in the US) will occur four months apart. That interval may also be included in your proposal.
If you have participated in a similar collaborative effort in the past, we recommend including this in your proposal for illustrative purposes. While the IWP has experience in creative collaboration, we welcome new ideas.
Please send applications, by post or email, to
Tammy Petro
International Writing Program
Shambaugh House
430 N. Clinton
Iowa City, IA 52245
319-335-3817
Tammy-Petro@uiowa.edu
Contest for Ex-Pats
Guidelines for the 2009 Expatriate Writing Contest
http://www.transitionsabroad.com/information/writers/expatriate_writing_contest.shtml
TransitionsAbroad.com invites you to enter its 2009 Expatriate Travel Writing Contest. Professionals, freelancers and aspiring writers are invited to write articles which describe their experience living abroad.
Often your experience abroad may be extended by working or studying in the host country, so living, working, and studying abroad are often inextricable, and we are interested in these aspects as well. Making the move to live abroad is for many the ultimate transition — often the fulfillment of a lifelong dream, in other cases the result of chance and circumstance. We are seeking inspiring articles which also provide in-depth practical descriptions of your experience moving and living abroad, including discussions of immigration, personal and family life abroad, housing, work, social interactions with the natives, food, culture, study, language learning, and potential prejudices encountered.
Apart from practical considerations what were the most important physical, psychological, and social adjustments necessary to integrate into the local communities? Feel free to include anecdotes about locals who may have aided in your adjustment to the physical conditions and social mores of the host community, as well as the role of expats in providing information and support.
While we welcome a good narrative, a listing, sidebar, and/or reference to the most important websites, publications, and other practical resources which have aided you in the cultural adjustment process or enhanced your life abroad is strongly encouraged to help others who may find themselves in similar situations or even similar locations. The inclusion of useful sidebars will likely help determine the winners of the contest.
In sum, we do not seek diaries or personal blogs, but your own perspective in which the host country remains the primary focus, such that the color and taste of the people and land remain in the foreground. Please see the Living Abroad section of our site for some examples of the types of articles we are seeking and see our writers' uidelines for a sense of our editorial preferences.
TransitionsAbroad.com will publish the winners' entries and will provide links to the authors' website or blog if so desired.
Contest Prizes
The first-place winner’s entry will receive $500, the second-place winning entry $150, and the third-place winner $100. Any other articles selected as runners-up for publication on TransitionsAbroad.com will receive a $50 payment.
Who is Eligible
The Contest is open to professional, freelance and aspiring writers from any location around the globe.
How to Enter
ubmit an original essay of up to 1,500 words relating to your experience living, moving, or working abroad. Focus should be placed on a description of the experience abroad and not primarily on personal feelings, as the descriptions and perceptions of the author should imply the personal impact. Supporting photos in .jpg or .gif format are welcome to illustrate the experience and are considered part of the essay submission.
Please read the writers’ guidelines for Transitions Abroad Magazine as well as sample articles on this site for a sense of our editorial focus.
To enter the Contest, attach your essay in Word format or copy and paste it into an e-mail. Please include your full name, complete postal address and phone number. Please type "Expatriate Writing Essay Entry" in the subject description of the e-mail and send the e-mail to expatriatewritingcontest@transitionsabroad.com
The Contest begins March 1, 2008, and all entries must be received by February 15, 2009. Transitions Abroad Publishing, Inc. will require first-time North American rights for all submissions which are accepted as contest winners and for publication. In addition, Transitions Abroad Publishing, Inc. will reserve the right to reprint the story in a future publication. The writer may republish the unedited submission as desired after initial publication on TransitionsAbroad.com.
Editors of TransitionsAbroad.com will judge entries based upon the following criteria:
--Sensitivity to the people and culture being described
--Ability to engage and inspire the reader
--Practical information
Winners will be chosen on or about February 22, 2009 and notified by phone, mail, or e-mail by February 28, 2009 for publication by April 1, 2008 to allow time for contact, acceptance, and international payment to writers living in remote regions of the world.
Contest Terms
There is no entry fee required for submissions. Decisions of the judges are final. Transitions Abroad Publishing, Inc. is not responsible for late, lost, misdirected, incomplete, or illegible e-mail or for any computer-related, online, or technical malfunctions that may occur in the submission process. Submissions are considered void if illegible, incomplete, damaged, irregular, altered, counterfeit, produced in error, or obtained through fraud or theft. Submissions will be considered made by an authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at time of entry. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners – along with any other runners-up accepted for publication – will be paid by Transitions Abroad Publishing, Inc. either by check or Paypal as preferred by the author. All federal, state, and local taxes are the sole responsibility of the Contest winners.
http://www.transitionsabroad.com/information/writers/expatriate_writing_contest.shtml
TransitionsAbroad.com invites you to enter its 2009 Expatriate Travel Writing Contest. Professionals, freelancers and aspiring writers are invited to write articles which describe their experience living abroad.
Often your experience abroad may be extended by working or studying in the host country, so living, working, and studying abroad are often inextricable, and we are interested in these aspects as well. Making the move to live abroad is for many the ultimate transition — often the fulfillment of a lifelong dream, in other cases the result of chance and circumstance. We are seeking inspiring articles which also provide in-depth practical descriptions of your experience moving and living abroad, including discussions of immigration, personal and family life abroad, housing, work, social interactions with the natives, food, culture, study, language learning, and potential prejudices encountered.
Apart from practical considerations what were the most important physical, psychological, and social adjustments necessary to integrate into the local communities? Feel free to include anecdotes about locals who may have aided in your adjustment to the physical conditions and social mores of the host community, as well as the role of expats in providing information and support.
While we welcome a good narrative, a listing, sidebar, and/or reference to the most important websites, publications, and other practical resources which have aided you in the cultural adjustment process or enhanced your life abroad is strongly encouraged to help others who may find themselves in similar situations or even similar locations. The inclusion of useful sidebars will likely help determine the winners of the contest.
In sum, we do not seek diaries or personal blogs, but your own perspective in which the host country remains the primary focus, such that the color and taste of the people and land remain in the foreground. Please see the Living Abroad section of our site for some examples of the types of articles we are seeking and see our writers' uidelines for a sense of our editorial preferences.
TransitionsAbroad.com will publish the winners' entries and will provide links to the authors' website or blog if so desired.
Contest Prizes
The first-place winner’s entry will receive $500, the second-place winning entry $150, and the third-place winner $100. Any other articles selected as runners-up for publication on TransitionsAbroad.com will receive a $50 payment.
Who is Eligible
The Contest is open to professional, freelance and aspiring writers from any location around the globe.
How to Enter
ubmit an original essay of up to 1,500 words relating to your experience living, moving, or working abroad. Focus should be placed on a description of the experience abroad and not primarily on personal feelings, as the descriptions and perceptions of the author should imply the personal impact. Supporting photos in .jpg or .gif format are welcome to illustrate the experience and are considered part of the essay submission.
Please read the writers’ guidelines for Transitions Abroad Magazine as well as sample articles on this site for a sense of our editorial focus.
To enter the Contest, attach your essay in Word format or copy and paste it into an e-mail. Please include your full name, complete postal address and phone number. Please type "Expatriate Writing Essay Entry" in the subject description of the e-mail and send the e-mail to expatriatewritingcontest@transitionsabroad.com
The Contest begins March 1, 2008, and all entries must be received by February 15, 2009. Transitions Abroad Publishing, Inc. will require first-time North American rights for all submissions which are accepted as contest winners and for publication. In addition, Transitions Abroad Publishing, Inc. will reserve the right to reprint the story in a future publication. The writer may republish the unedited submission as desired after initial publication on TransitionsAbroad.com.
Editors of TransitionsAbroad.com will judge entries based upon the following criteria:
--Sensitivity to the people and culture being described
--Ability to engage and inspire the reader
--Practical information
Winners will be chosen on or about February 22, 2009 and notified by phone, mail, or e-mail by February 28, 2009 for publication by April 1, 2008 to allow time for contact, acceptance, and international payment to writers living in remote regions of the world.
Contest Terms
There is no entry fee required for submissions. Decisions of the judges are final. Transitions Abroad Publishing, Inc. is not responsible for late, lost, misdirected, incomplete, or illegible e-mail or for any computer-related, online, or technical malfunctions that may occur in the submission process. Submissions are considered void if illegible, incomplete, damaged, irregular, altered, counterfeit, produced in error, or obtained through fraud or theft. Submissions will be considered made by an authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at time of entry. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners – along with any other runners-up accepted for publication – will be paid by Transitions Abroad Publishing, Inc. either by check or Paypal as preferred by the author. All federal, state, and local taxes are the sole responsibility of the Contest winners.
Illinois Residency for Emerging Writers
Lake Forest College
Madeleine P. Plonsker Emerging Writer's Residency Prize (Prose)
Lake Forest College, in conjunction with the &NOW organization, invites applications for an emerging prose writer under forty years old, with no major book publication*, to spend two months (February-March or March-April 2010) in residence at our campus in Chicago’s northern suburbs on the shore of Lake Michigan. There are no formal teaching duties attached to the residency. Time is to be spent completing a manuscript, participating in the Lake Forest Literary Festival, and offering two public presentations. The completed manuscript will be published (upon approval) by the Lake Forest College Press &NOW Books imprint. The stipend is $10,000, with a housing suite and campus meals. Send curriculum vita, no more than 30 pages of manuscript in progress, and a one-page statement of plans for completion to: Plonsker Residency, Department of English, Lake Forest College, Box A16, 555 N. Sheridan Road, Lake Forest, IL 60045. Submissions must be postmarked by April 1, 2009 for consideration by judges Robert Archambeau, Davis Schneiderman, and Joshua Corey.
More details: http://www.lakeforest.edu/academics/programs/engl/plonsker.asp
*No major book publication. What does this mean?: a chapbook is ok, as are works where the candidate is translator or editor. Yet, most other small press book publications will disqualify. Query andnow@lakeforest.edu with questions.
Madeleine P. Plonsker Emerging Writer's Residency Prize (Prose)
Lake Forest College, in conjunction with the &NOW organization, invites applications for an emerging prose writer under forty years old, with no major book publication*, to spend two months (February-March or March-April 2010) in residence at our campus in Chicago’s northern suburbs on the shore of Lake Michigan. There are no formal teaching duties attached to the residency. Time is to be spent completing a manuscript, participating in the Lake Forest Literary Festival, and offering two public presentations. The completed manuscript will be published (upon approval) by the Lake Forest College Press &NOW Books imprint. The stipend is $10,000, with a housing suite and campus meals. Send curriculum vita, no more than 30 pages of manuscript in progress, and a one-page statement of plans for completion to: Plonsker Residency, Department of English, Lake Forest College, Box A16, 555 N. Sheridan Road, Lake Forest, IL 60045. Submissions must be postmarked by April 1, 2009 for consideration by judges Robert Archambeau, Davis Schneiderman, and Joshua Corey.
More details: http://www.lakeforest.edu/academics/programs/engl/plonsker.asp
*No major book publication. What does this mean?: a chapbook is ok, as are works where the candidate is translator or editor. Yet, most other small press book publications will disqualify. Query andnow@lakeforest.edu with questions.
ISO Essays by and about Doctors & Lawyers
DOCTORS AND LAWYERS: CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Are you a doctor? Are you a lawyer? Are you a writer with something to say about doctors or lawyers? Well, this could be your chance to get your voice heard and your writing published (and win $2500 while you're at it). The important details: 1) The deadline is March 15,2009, and 2) $2500 will be awarded for the best essay. The finer points follow:
For a collection to be published by Southern Methodist University Press, Creative Nonfiction is seeking new essays written by or about doctors and lawyers, exploring the two professions' similarities aswell as their divisions and points of conflict. What intrigues, interests, or annoys doctors and lawyers--and, potentially,others--about each other? The objective of this project is to capturethe complex relationship between these two professions. Essays must be vivid and dramatic; they should combine a strong and compelling narrative with a significant element of research or information. We're looking for well-written prose, rich with detailand a distinctive voice. Creative Nonfiction editors will award $2,500 for Best Essay
Guidelines:
Essays must be: unpublished, 5,000 words or less, postmarked by March 15, 2009, and clearly marked "Doctors andLawyers" on both the essay and the outside of the envelope. There is a $20 reading fee; $25 includes a 4-issue CNF subscription. Multiple entries are welcome ($20/essay) as are entries from outside the U.S.(though additional subscription postage costs do apply; emailinformation@creativenonfiction.org for rates).
Please send manuscript, accompanied by a cover letter with complete contact information, SASE and payment to: Creative Nonfiction Attn: Doctors and Lawyers 5501 Walnut Street, Suite 202 Pittsburgh, PA 15232
Please email any questions toinformation@creativenonfiction.org Information is also posted on our website. To view, click here.http://www.creativenonfiction.org/thejournal/submittocnf.htm
Are you a doctor? Are you a lawyer? Are you a writer with something to say about doctors or lawyers? Well, this could be your chance to get your voice heard and your writing published (and win $2500 while you're at it). The important details: 1) The deadline is March 15,2009, and 2) $2500 will be awarded for the best essay. The finer points follow:
For a collection to be published by Southern Methodist University Press, Creative Nonfiction is seeking new essays written by or about doctors and lawyers, exploring the two professions' similarities aswell as their divisions and points of conflict. What intrigues, interests, or annoys doctors and lawyers--and, potentially,others--about each other? The objective of this project is to capturethe complex relationship between these two professions. Essays must be vivid and dramatic; they should combine a strong and compelling narrative with a significant element of research or information. We're looking for well-written prose, rich with detailand a distinctive voice. Creative Nonfiction editors will award $2,500 for Best Essay
Guidelines:
Essays must be: unpublished, 5,000 words or less, postmarked by March 15, 2009, and clearly marked "Doctors andLawyers" on both the essay and the outside of the envelope. There is a $20 reading fee; $25 includes a 4-issue CNF subscription. Multiple entries are welcome ($20/essay) as are entries from outside the U.S.(though additional subscription postage costs do apply; emailinformation@creativenonfiction.org for rates).
Please send manuscript, accompanied by a cover letter with complete contact information, SASE and payment to: Creative Nonfiction Attn: Doctors and Lawyers 5501 Walnut Street, Suite 202 Pittsburgh, PA 15232
Please email any questions toinformation@creativenonfiction.org Information is also posted on our website. To view, click here.http://www.creativenonfiction.org/thejournal/submittocnf.htm
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
John Updike...
...has died. He should have gotten the Nobel. I guess that leaves Philip Roth and Joyce Carol Oates. The New York Times obit: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/01/27/books/AP-Obit-Updike.html?_r=2
Entering the Poem: Andrea Hollander Budy
Poet Andrea Hollander Budy was my roommate way back when at the first Sewanee Writers Conference I attended. We figured out that we were put together because on the roommate questionnaire, after all the questions about night owl vs. early bird, messy vs. clean, we had both written something along the lines of: “The most important factor is that my roommate be a non-smoker!!!!” Voila—we were matched.
Anyway, here is an interesting interview with her on the blog for the journal 32 Poems. An excerpt:
“I have always tried to write as clearly as possible in language that is free of decoration. A poem is already by its nature a dense enterprise — relatively few words attempt to engage readers and provide a compelling experience — and while I don’t wish to write simplistic poems, I do want readers to easily enter a poem and to discover there something valuable not only the first time they read or hear it, but for them to want to enter the poem again and again and to be ushered more deeply into it each time.”
Read the rest here.
Anyway, here is an interesting interview with her on the blog for the journal 32 Poems. An excerpt:
“I have always tried to write as clearly as possible in language that is free of decoration. A poem is already by its nature a dense enterprise — relatively few words attempt to engage readers and provide a compelling experience — and while I don’t wish to write simplistic poems, I do want readers to easily enter a poem and to discover there something valuable not only the first time they read or hear it, but for them to want to enter the poem again and again and to be ushered more deeply into it each time.”
Read the rest here.
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